Wollam v. State

380 N.E.2d 82, 269 Ind. 286, 1978 Ind. LEXIS 774
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1978
Docket1176S413
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 380 N.E.2d 82 (Wollam v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wollam v. State, 380 N.E.2d 82, 269 Ind. 286, 1978 Ind. LEXIS 774 (Ind. 1978).

Opinion

Prentice, J.

— Defendant (Appellant) was charged by information with First Degree Murder, Ind. Code § 35-18-4-1 (Burns 1975), for the March 1975 shooting death of his ex-wife, Candy Wollam. Following a trial by jury, he was found guilty of Second Degree Murder, Ind. Code § 35-1-54-1 (Burns 1975) and was sentenced to not less than fifteen, nor more than twenty-five years imprisonment. This direct appeal presents the following issues:

(1) Whether there was sufficient evidence to sustain the jury’s verdict.
(2) Whether the defendant’s written confession was obtained in violation of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, and erroneously admitted into evidence.
(3) Whether certain items of evidence were obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, and erroneously admitted into evidence.
(4) Whether the trial court committed error by not allowing witnesses for the defense to testify concerning the decedent’s immoral character.
• '(5) Whether the trial court erred by not allowing into evidence certain photographs offered by the defendant.
(6) Whether the trial court committed error by denying Defendant’s motion for a mistrial.
(7) Whether the trial judge’s demeanor was prejudicial to the defendant.
(8) Whether certain items of evidence were erroneously admitted into evidence over Defendant’s objection that they lacked relevance and were repetitious.
*289 (9) Whether certain items of evidence were erroneously-admitted without first establishing a complete “chain of custody.”

ISSUE I

Defendant argues that the evidence of guilt is not sufficient to sustain the jury’s verdict, and claims that the State failed to prove the elements of malice and purpose. In order to establish the elements of second degree murder, the State must prove that the defendant purposely and maliciously killed a human being. Blackburn v. State, (1973) 260 Ind. 5, 291 N.E.2d 686.

Upon a review of the evidence, this Court will look only to the evidence favorable to the State, along with all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom. Baum v. State, (1976) 264 Ind. 421, 345 N.E.2d 831. We will not weigh the evidence or judge the credibility of the witnesses. Rosell v. State, (1976) 265 Ind. 173, 352 N.E.2d 750. The verdict will not be disturbed if it is supported by substantial evidence of probative value. Baum v. State, supra.

When viewed most favorably to the State, the evidence supports discloses the following:

Although the defendant and the decedent were divorced, they had been maintaining a connubial and stormy relationship. When the decedent moved from a mobile home into an apartment, the defendant stayed in a nearby motel. He had intended to move in with the decedent as soon as she broke off her most recent affair with another man.

On the morning of the shooting, the defendant arrived at the apartment and had coffee with the decedent. They began to argue about money and other men, but the argument abated when it was realized that their son was late returning from kindergarten and the defendant went to look for him. Defendant and the child returned to the apartment and the argument resumed. Decedent demanded money for her *290 sexual favors and unfavorably compared the defendant’s sexual prowess with that of her other lovers. He became incensed, grabbed a .22 caliber sawed-oif rifle, and shot the decedent several times.

There were no witnesses to the shooting, all evidence relating to the shooting and the events leading thereto came from the defendant himself, and he related different versions at different times.

The major inconsistency in Defendant’s story concerns the murder weapon. After his arrest, Defendant gave a statement to the police in which he stated that he had purchased the .22 rifle and sawed off the barrel and the stock at the decedent’s request, and that this sawed-off rifle had been in the decedent’s possession for two weeks prior to the shooting. This is the same version that he related at trial. Shortly after giving such statement to the police, however, he gave a second statement in which he stated that the decedent had not been in possession of the rifle but that he had brought it with him, hidden in his coat, when he came to the apartment on the morning of the shooting.

Defendant admitted that he acted deliberately but disputes that malice and purpose were proven. Malice and purpose may reasonably be inferred from the deliberate use of a deadly weapon in a manner likely to cause death or great bodily harm. Horton v. State, (1976) 265 Ind. 393, 354 N.E.2d 242; White v. State, (1976) 265 Ind. 32, 349 N.E.2d 156. Here, there was substantial evidence of probative value to support the jury’s finding that the defendant acted with purpose and malice.

ISSUE II

Defendant made two incriminating confessions which were reduced to writing and signed by him. He moved to suppress these statements and objected to their admission at trial. It is argued that the police failed to comply with the procedures *291 which have been established to safeguard Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights, and that the confessions were not voluntarily made.

Upon a review of the denial of a motion to suppress a confession and the subsequent admission of that confession over objection, this Court will not weigh the evidence or judge the credibility of witnesses. The admissibility of a confession ultimately depends upon questions of fact which are to be resolved by the trial court. Works v. State, (1977) 266 Ind. 250, 362 N.E.2d 144; Layton v. State, (1973) 261 Ind. 251, 301 N.E.2d 633. If the evidence is conflicting, only that evidence which tends to support the trial court’s ruling will be considered upon appeal. Riggs v. State, (1976) 264 Ind. 263, 342 N.E.2d 838; Cowell v. State, (1975) 263 Ind. 344, 331 N.E.2d 21;

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Bluebook (online)
380 N.E.2d 82, 269 Ind. 286, 1978 Ind. LEXIS 774, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wollam-v-state-ind-1978.